Torrance, CA -- MediaMation, Inc. (MMI) is pleased to announce Sony Business Solutions Corporation (SBSC) will be the exclusive distributors for their MediaMation MX4DTM Motion EFX Cinema Theatres in Japan. The flagship installation in this new alliance will be the opening of TOHO Cinemas LaLaport Fujimi, MediaMation MX4DTM Motion EFX Cinema Theatre in April 2015, with two additional 100+ seat installations following shortly thereafter in TOHO Cinemas Roppongi Hills and TOHO Cinemas Shinjuku. TOHO Cinemas is the nation's largest cinema chain.

Sony Business Solutions Corporation, a subsidiary company of Sony Corporation, acts as a "one-stop-shop" for a client's business needs. Their market reach and expertise encompasses broadcasting, digital cinema, education, sports stadiums, governmental entities, medical, retail and more. As part of its agreement with MMI, Sony Business Solutions Corporation SBSC will handle MediaMation MX4DTM Motion EFX Cinema Theatre clients in Japan and fuel MediaMation's expansion by providing integration, sales installation, servicing and support for MMI's MX4DTM Cinema Theatres.

MX4DTM is MediaMation's uniquely branded "4D" pneumatically driven motion EFX system. In general, 4D refers to an emerging "immersive" technology which allows movie-goers to experience big Hollywood "blockbusters" in a new way via the addition of moving seats, air/water blasts, leg ticklers, fog, scents and other special effects that emanate from specially designed theatre seats, or from inside the theatre itself. These multiple special effects are programmed to both sync with and enhance the action on the screen for a more exciting and realistic movie-going experience.

Notes MMI Vice President/CTO Dan Jamele: "With our new partner, Sony Business Solutions Corporation, we see adding MediaMation MX4DTM Motion EFX cinema technology to their stable of offerings as a natural extension of the Sony business model, since Sony Business Solutions Corporation SBSC routinely deals with digital cinema systems throughout Japan. As the rapid expansion of our MX4DTM Motion EFX Theatres into the world-wide cinema market progresses, this partnership is a significant milestone in our global reach. With Sony Business Solutions Corporation SBSC's reputation and longevity, we feel our clients in Japan will be in good hands."

Observes Takashi Hayasaka, General Manager, New Business Promotion Department, Sales & Marketing Division, Sony Business Solutions Corporation: "As Sony Business Solutions Corporation expands its offerings to its customer base, we see MediaMation's MX4DTM Motion EFX Theatres as the next evolution in the cinema market. MediaMation provides strong experience and the best technology available. Sony Business Solutions Corporation is proud to be a partner with them in this exciting growth industry."

MediaMation is committed to entertaining the masses with their visionary technology. The company creates innovative ways to immerse the audience in their surroundings... taking them out of their element and interjecting them into a different experience. Because of their long history in this arena, it comes as no surprise that the demand for their designs and implementation of theatres, interactive exhibits and fountain shows continues to gain momentum. MediaMation owes its approach to their success in understanding the clients' wants and needs and works closely with them to be sure that they convey their client's vision to their patrons. No matter how intricate it may be, they are always up for the challenge.

Since its inception, MediaMation has worked with major theme parks, museums and family fun centers. In 2010, MediaMation saw the opportunity to provide this same interactive, immersive technology as it did for 4D/5D Motion EFX theatres in themed environments. Since then, it has been bringing its technological innovations to the cinema market, where it has been well received -- new rollouts of cinema screens are happening monthly.

Monday Morning Update: Avengers: Age Of Ultron blew away the competition last week on Facebook as it rose by almost 700,000 new likes. It saw more new likes than the other 80 upcoming wide releases we track combined. There was a ton of news on the week surrounding the film including numerous character posters, spoiler-filled interviews and speculation over Spider-Man's potential inclusion into a post credits scene in the film. Big gains for the film are barely news-worthy since just about anything under $200 million will be spun as a disappointment (as ludicrous as that actually is), but for what its worth this is the biggest gain I can recall for a film not tied to a trailer in a given Facebook week. Interest is just so high for it and people are clamouring for more of the Marvel Creative Universe.

Following its recent Twitter successes The Divergent Series: Insurgent made it to the second spot here with 77,734 new likes, allowing it to crack the 4.5 million total like mark. The buzz really has been picking up for the film in recent weeks, and as such another $50+ million opening appears to be a lock. By comparison, the first film had a similar 65k like increase the same distance before its release.

Chappie had another strong outing, making it into the top 5 for the second time in as many weeks. I've been drawing comparisons to Elysium in recent weeks and that film had 355,495 tweets the same distance before its release. Elysium had a bigger ramp-up in the weeks leading into its opening even though it was virtually neck and neck with Chappie 1 month+ prior to release. Whether that can be attributed to more marketing spend or audiences not connecting with Chappie is unknown but I have a hard time seeing this breaking $30 million with its lukewarm Facebook (and also Twitter) numbers in mind.

Minions and Cinderella are staples of the top 5 here so it wasn't surprising to see their inclusion. Minions appears to be all set to be the first non-sequel to have 30 million likes before its opening day. True its a spinoff of a franchise but its not reusing the same Facebook page which makes its numbers pretty astonishing. Cinderella has frequented the top 5 on Facebook for weeks now, and this past week was no different as the like machine kept rolling. Both of these films are strong candidates for top 10 grossers on the year.

Facebook Top 5 Movies by Like Increase for the last week Ending Sunday February 22nd

Fifty Shades of Grey brought in $36 million from 59 territories over the weekend, taking its overseas total up to $338.4 million. South Korea took a #4 debut with $1.8 million at 512 dates. Universal is happy with the result considering the novel was not a best-seller in South Korea and the late February release was slotted in order to benefit from the publicity of the film's worldwide opening. Top market for the erotic thriller include the UK ($46.9M), Germany ($33.7M), France ($24.5M), Brazil ($24.2M), and Italy ($21.2M). Fifty Shades of Grey has grossed a total of $486.2 million worldwide and is expected to cross the $500 million mark mid-week.

Kingsman: The Secret Service collected $25.8 million over the weekend. South Korea finished strong in its third frame, claiming the top spot at the box office as it adds to its running cume of $25.4 million. New markets this weekend include a #2 finish in Mexico with a $1.75 million bow from 1,050 screens. Spain took #3 with a $1.36 million debut across 385 screens. Italy also opened in third place with $1.2 million from 263 screens. Kingsman: The Secret Service has grossed a total of $124.6 million outside of North America and $210.2 million globally.

Big Hero 6 scored the biggest opening weekend of all time for a Disney animation release in China with a $14.8 million debut. It accounted for more than two thirds of the film's overseas earnings this weekend, as Big Hero 6 netted $21.6 million from 25 territories. The film has now grossed a total of $351.3 million overseas and $572.1 million worldwide.

American Sniper continues its miracle box office run after adding $19.5 million from 4,545 screens in 59 markets, making it the highest grossing Clint Eastwood directed film of all time overseas with a $139.1 million cume outside of North America. The film took a #2 debut at 333 screens in Germany with $3.7 million. The film kept the top spot in France once again with a $4.5 million take from 461 screens, only a 27% slide from last weekend's debut. Japan also remains at #1 after a 19% dip, accounting for a $2.3 million weekend at 338 screens. Top markets include Italy ($23.1M), UK ($20.2M), Australia ($14.8M), and France ($12.4M). American Sniper expands to Russia next weekend with $470.2 million from global box office receipts already in the bank.

The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water expanded to Italy and Finland over the weekend as it finished its latest frame overseas with $14.2 million from 6,947 locations in 46 territories. Italy opened at #1 with $2.3 million from 360 locations, 67% ahead of the Big Hero 6 debut. Strong holds in Germany ($2.2M Weekend, $7.7M Total), France ($2.1M Weekend, $6M Total), and Brazil ($1.1.M Weekend, $14.8M Total) round out the weekend's top performers. The latest Spongebob film has grossed $96.3 million overseas and $236.6 million worldwide.

Focus took a $31.3 million global day-and-date debut after earning $12.2 million from 31 overseas markets. The Will Smith vehicle enjoyed success in Russia, where it opened to $3.1 million at 1,265 screens. The film still has 70% of its overseas markets left to open, including releases in Germany, Italy, Australia, and Mexico next weekend.

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel opened in the UK with a $5.85 million tally from 871 locations, outperforming the original by 170%. Australia posted a $3.05 million debut, 15% ahead of the original, while New Zealand secured the top spot at the box office with a $496k bow from 162 screens, 20% above its predecessor. The overseas total from its first three markets adds up to $9.4 million.

The Oscar bump amounted to a $5.8 million weekend overseas for Birdman. The film opened in France to $1.6 million from 159 screens. Birdman has now grossed $46 million overseas and $86.2 million globally.

Jupiter Ascending grossed $3.5 million from 2,925 screens in 64 markets over the weekend. The film's top markets include Russia ($8.9M), UK ($6.4M), France ($6.4M), and Brazil ($5.8M) as it prepares for its release in China next weekend. Jupiter Ascending has grossed a total of $81.1 million overseas and $124.2 million globally.

The Theory of Everything earned $3.2 million in 46 territories thanks to an expansion that included openings in the Czech Republic, Denmark, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Slovakia, South Africa and Turkey. Russia impressed by netting $235k in limited release at 110 dates, the biggest opening for a film on less than 150 screens for the last five years. The biopic has grossed $75.1 million overseas and $110.2 million worldwide.

Penguins of Madagascar added another $2.5 million to its overseas tally this weekend. The animated film has grossed $281.6 million overseas and $364.3 million globally.

Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb collected $2.2 million over the weekend. The film has grossed $232.6 million overseas with Japan set to realize on March 20. The film has grossed a total of $344.5 million worldwide.

Sunday Update: As was widely expected, Warner's Focus debuted in first place this weekend with an estimated $19.1 million. However, the romantic heist film starring Will Smith and Margot Robbie did perform slightly below pre-release expectations. Focus opened a lackluster 31 percent below the $27.52 million start of 2013's After Earth, though it should be noted that Focus was far less expensive than After Earth and will likely hold up significantly better than After Earth did after opening weekend. With that said, the debut of Focus further suggests that Smith's drawing power at the box office is nowhere near the level it once was.

Focus debuted with $6.47 million on Friday (which included an estimated $900,000 from Thursday night shows), increased 18 percent on Saturday to take in $7.66 million and is estimated to decline 35 percent on Sunday to claim $4.98 million. That places the film's estimated opening weekend to Friday ratio at a very solid 2.95 to 1 (though it should be noted that Friday's grosses were deflated a bit in general by winter weather in parts of the country). The film received a respectable B rating on CinemaScore. The audience breakdown for Focus skewed towards female moviegoers (53 percent) and heavily towards moviegoers over the age of 25 (88 percent).

Focus took in $2.08 million from IMAX locations, which represented 10.9 percent of the film's overall gross this weekend.

It was a tight race for places two through five this weekend, as second place and fifth place were separated by just an estimated $1.15 million.

Fox's Kingsman: The Secret Service took in an estimated $11.75 million to claim second place for a third consecutive weekend. The Matthew Vaughn directed graphic novel adaptation starring Colin Firth was down a very solid 36 percent from last weekend. Kingsman: The Secret Service continues to inch closer to the $100 million domestic mark with a stronger than expected 17-day take of $85.69 million. That places the film an impressive 46 percent ahead of the $58.82 million 17-day gross of 2010's Red.

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water held steady in third place this weekend with an estimated $11.2 million. Thanks in part to facing no new direct competition for family audiences, Paramount's 3D animated film stabilized nicely this weekend, as it was down 32 percent from last weekend. The SpongeBob Movie continues to exceed expectations with a strong 24-day take of $140.32 million and is running 32 percent ahead of the $106.34 million 24-day take of 2011's Rango.

After leading the box office each of the past two weekends, Fifty Shades of Grey fell three spots to land in fourth place with an estimated $10.93 million. Universal's successful erotic romantic drama was down a sharp 51 percent from last weekend, but showed relative signs of stabilization after last weekend's massive percentage decline. While it's proving to be very front-loaded, Fifty Shades of Grey has grossed a very strong $147.76 million in 17 days, which places it a sizable 48 percent ahead of the $99.92 million 17-day take of 2010's Valentine's Day.

The Lazarus Effect debuted in fifth place with an estimated $10.6 million. The low-budget PG-13 rated horror film from Relativity had been widely expected to open slightly higher, but was still off to a solid start this weekend given its cost. It should also be noted that online activity levels before the film's release were soft by horror film standards. The Lazarus Effect opened 12 percent below the $12.01 million start of Relativity's Oculus last April.

The Lazarus Effect opened with $3.8 million on Friday (which included an estimated $350,000 from Thursday night shows), increased a healthy 15.5 percent on Saturday to take in $4.39 million and is estimated to decline 45 percent on Sunday to gross an estimated $2.41 million. That gives the film an estimated opening weekend to Friday ratio of 2.79 to 1, which is very promising for a horror film. On the other hand, The Lazarus Effect received a C- rating on CinemaScore, which isn't the greatest early sign (even by horror film standards).

Disney's McFarland, USA held up very nicely in its second weekend, as it was down just 29 percent to place in sixth with an estimated $7.79 million. The sports drama starring Kevin Costner continues to perform on the high end of expectations with $21.98 million in ten days. That places the film 13.5 percent ahead of the $19.36 million ten-day take of last year's Draft Day (which fell 42 percent in its second weekend to gross $5.71 million). This weekend's hold is a strong sign for McFarland, USA going forward.

Warner's American Sniper continued to hold up very well this weekend with an estimated seventh place take of $7.7 million. The blockbuster Clint Eastwood directed Best Picture nominee starring Bradley Cooper was down a slim 23 percent from last weekend. American Sniper has grossed a massive $331.11 million to date and is now on the verge of surpassing the $336.71 million current total gross of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 to become the highest grossing release of 2014 domestically.

The DUFF also held up well this weekend with an estimated eighth place gross of $7.15 million. The low-budget PG-13 comedy from CBS Films and Lionsgate was down 34 percent from last weekend's stronger than expected start. The DUFF continues to exceed expectations with $20.05 million in ten days. That places the film 21 percent ahead of the $16.55 million ten-day take of last year's That Awkward Moment (which fell 40 percent in its second weekend to gross $5.24 million).

Saturday Update: Warner Bros. reports that Focus earned an estimated $6.47 million for its opening day, easily taking first place on Friday. The Will Smith-Margot Robbie con artist flick debuted just under Limitless' $6.6 million first day back in 2011. Unfortunately, early word of mouth appears very mixed as the film received a "B" CinemaScore and sits at a 66 percent user rating on Rotten Tomatoes this morning (where critics disapprove even more at 56 percent). Still, the film's adult-skewing appeal could balance out some of the early complaints about the film throughout the weekend. BoxOffice is projecting an opening frame of $18.5 million.

Relativity's The Lazarus Effect debuted to $3.8 million on Friday as it claimed second place for the day, nearly 24 percent lower than last year's Oculus. The horror pic's early buzz isn't heading in the right direction, though: only 33 percent of Rotten Tomatoes users approve of the film so far, while critics have given it an even lower 14 percent. Given the natural tendency for horror pics to drop off quickly, expect the same here. BoxOffice projects a $9.2 million opening weekend.

Fifty Shades of Grey slid into third place yesterday with $3.5 million, down another 56.5 percent from last Friday. The erotic drama has taken in $140.3 million domestically through 15 days of release, putting it 8 percent ahead of the original Twilight. BoxOffice projects a $9.9 million third weekend.

Fox's Kingsman: The Secret Service continues to display strong holding power as it eased 41 percent from last Friday to $3.12 million in fourth place. The graphic novel adaptation has earned an impressive $77.1 million domestically to date, putting it 1 percent ahead of Daredevil and 31 percent ahead of Jumper through their same release points. Kingsman will also surpass the latter film's final domestic gross of $80.2 million over the weekend. Look for a weekend total around $10.8 million.

Filling out the top five yesterday was The DUFF, down just 50 percent from opening day last week to $2.14 million. The sleeper hit's 8-day total stands at just over $15 million, putting it 15 percent ahead of the pace of That Awkward Moment. BoxOffice projects a $6.5 million weekend.

Three well-received holdovers fought for space just outside the top five yesterday. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water dropped 47.5 percent to $2.11 million, giving it a strong $131.2 total thus far and setting it on course for an $8.9 million frame.

McFarland, USA was off just 45 percent from opening day last week to $1.99 million, bringing its 8-day total to $16.2 million (in line with Draft Day's $15.8 million sum through the same point) as the latest Kevin Costner sports drama eyes a $6.8 million sophomore frame.

Meanwhile, American Sniper added another $1.9 million (off just 30 percent from last Friday), giving it $325.3 million in all domestically. The blockbuster flick should land around $7 million this weekend, and is currently on pace to surpass The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 by next weekend to officially become 2014's highest grossing release.

Check BoxOffice on Sunday for official weekend estimates from the studios.

Friday Update #2: Sources tell BoxOffice that Focus will be the #1 opening this weekend with a respectable $23 million. The Lazarus Effect is on pace for $12 million.

Check back tomorrow for updated projections and official studio figures.

Friday Update #1: Warner Bros. reports that Focus bowed to a solid $900,000 from Thursday pre-shows. Comparisons for con artist flicks are fairly slim, but last night's showing from the Will Smith/Margot Robbie pic was noticeably ahead of the $550,000 posted by Monuments Men last February and just under the $1.3 million of Gone Girl in October.

Prior to release, tracking had been suggesting an opening weekend north of $20 million to be likely. Last night's results back that up so far.

Also opening this weekend is The Lazarus Effect, which pulled a reported $350,000 from 8pm and later shows last night. By comparison, last April's Oculus earned $480,000 from Thursday night shows.

The 2015 Australian International Movie Convention (AIMC) marks the 70th owners and film distributors gathered for a common cause - the love of movie. From humble beginnings the AIMC has grown to be one of the great film conventions in the world. The 2015 AIMC will, once again, be hosted by the National Association of Cinema Operators-Australasia (NACO) and will run from October 11-15 at Jupiters Hotel & Casino at Broadbeach on Queensland's Gold Coast.

The AIMC brings exhibitors, distributors, producers and allied trades and suppliers together in one place for four days - and provides an opportunity for industry participants to make a smart investment in their businesses.

From those humble beginnings as a Queensland state-based conference in the mid-1940s with only about 60 delegates, the Convention grew to around 200 delegates by the 1970s, increased steadily to around 550 in the mid-1990s, and now hosts over 1,000 delegates.

To reflect the growth in delegates nationally, the Convention was officially branded as the "Australian National Movie Convention" in 1989. The Gold Coast became the official "home" of the Convention. In 2000, as a reflection of the increasing number of International speakers and delegates, the Convention was rebranded as the "Australian International Movie Convention", as it is now known.

The move to Jupiters Hotel & Casino at Broadbeach in 2009 was an initiative designed to amalgamate all convention activities - film screenings, seminars, trade show and networking functions - in one venue. Adding to the convenience this offered was the opportunity for the majority of delegates to stay on-site if they wished, or in alternate accommodation in close proximity in the Broadbeach area.

In 1992 the inaugural Australian Star of the Year Award was won by Paul Mercurio for "Strictly Ballroom". Since then other actors to be honoured, all of whom have gone on to international success, have included Russell Crowe, Eric Bana, Hugo Weaving, Geoffrey Rush, Jack Thompson, Hugh Jackman, Jacki Weaver, Ben Mendelsohn, Michael Caton and the late Heath Ledger.

2015 AIMC

A very special event is planned to celebrate the 70th functions and screenings will feature theming and footage from the last 70 years. Displays are planned of movies, equipment, costumes, photos and other memorabilia from the past seven decades.

The AIMC continues to go from strength to strength, working continually with its partners in film distribution, technology & sound, auditorium fit-out, catering and marketing to provide the optimal convention experience. In 2015, the AIMC organisers are reaching out to representatives from allied film industries such as home entertainment to attend. We will also be welcoming a larger international contingent from Asia, United States and Europe and will continue to evolve the variety of speakers and presentations. year since a few cinema year of the AIMC. Many of the presentations,

It is always gratifying to receive positive feedback from each convention, and our team works hard to provide an informative and exciting event each year within our basic framework. The program is very full, but it represents value for money and a good business investment.

Sunday, October 11 will see an Australian Premiere Film Event which provides an opportunity to encourage participation from local government, businesses and the community.

The Trade Show offers our allied businesses the chance to showcase the latest equipment and trends from the international market. With digitalisation almost complete, what will be next to ensure the optimal patron experience?

The film distributors present their upcoming product slate to the key decision makers in the exhibition market via presentations and screenings.

Our guest speakers and presenters update delegates on international trends affecting not only the industry but also on a range of topics relating to business in general.

Networking functions provide an invaluable opportunity for delegates to interact with their peers in a social atmosphere. These include seated dinner functions, an exclusive delegate bar each evening and gala convention wrap party. Throughout the convention, awards recognising achievements for the preceding year for box office grosses, cinema owner/operators, and individual industry honours are presented.

THE AUSTRALIAN MARKET

"The 2014 box office of $1,074 billion demonstrated that cinema going is still one of the most popular forms of entertainment in Australia, despite a slight decrease from 2013. 2015 is shaping up to be one of the biggest & most exciting years in the film industry with a formidable line-up and the MPDAA distributors are eager to share all the latest film clips and material to enable exhibitors to better plan, prepare and optimise their box office takings on all our releases".

It is estimated that 95% of the total 2041 cinema screens in Australia have converted to digital projection.

Of the country's 2041 screens, 1204 are operated by the four major exhibitors in Australia, being Amalgamated Holdings Ltd (Event / Greater Union / Birch, Carroll and Coyle brands), Hoyts Cinemas, Village Cinemas and Reading Cinemas.

As a mature market, further expansion is limited. A refurbishment program is likely to be undertaken as many cinemas approach lease term renewals. Australia has some of the best exhibition minds in the world who will continue to focus on what is required to get people out of their homes and into the cinema environment. Expect to see continual upgrades of cinemas, including premium offerings, bigger screens, sharper sound and better seating, both in size and configuration.

It is possible that within the next five years we could see satellite delivery - currently limited to mostly alternate content. Australia is a big, expansive country with a population adroit at adopting the latest in technologies.

Australians generally embrace a broad range of movies and our multicultural society ensures a strong acceptance of international movies as well as those from the Hollywood studios. Of the 505 movies released in 2014, 233 or 46% were foreign language films.

The top 10 films of 2014 represented a significant 25.4% of the total annual box office and included a strong mix of franchises such as "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1", "Transformers: Age of Extinction", X-Men: Days of Future Past" as well as broad appeal animation hits "The Lego Movie", "Frozen", "How to Train Your Dragon 2" and "Guardians of the Galaxy", "Gone Girl", "The Wolf of Wall Street" and "22 Jump Street" rounded out the biggest movies of the year.

2014 AT A GLANCE

BOX OFFICE

2014 Box Office - $1,074,565,480

-2.28 on last year ($1,099,615,801)

Highest year on record was 2010 - $1,128,498,000

ALL FILMS RELEASED

505 Films released in 2014 (421 in 2013) (421 in 2012)

AUSTRALIAN FILM DETAILS

39 Aus films released in 2014 (26 in 2013) (27 in 2012)

AVERAGE TICKET PRICE

$13.68 Average ticket price in 2014 ($13.41 in 2013) (13.10 in 2012)

SCREENS AND THEATRES

2041 screens in 2014 (2057 in 2013) (1991 in 2012)

489 Theatres in 2014 (486 in 2013) (478 in 2012)

918 3D Screens in 2014 (916 in 2013)

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN

37 countries in 2014 (26 in 2013)

India

87 in 2014 (75 in 2013)

China

13 in 2014 (10 in 2013)

Hong Kong

13 in 2014 (8 in 2013)

GENRES

Films Released

Genre / 2014 Films / 2014 Box Office / 2013 Films / 2013 Box Office

Action 86 387,134,000 73 323,347,000

Adventure 12 36,533,000 13 89,200,000

Animated 23 127,867,000 18 172,991,000

Biography 14 17,252,000 8 8,322,000

Broadcast 14 124,672 N/a N/a

Comedy 99 169,118,000 82 159,844,000

Crime 9 26,610,000 15 33,933,000

Dance Nil Nil 1 241,000

Doco 44 3,661,000 38 8,723,000

Drama 110 169,112,000 96 152,935,000

Family 7 26,277,000 1 1,220,000

Fantasy 3 2,987,000 3 16,481,000

Horror 10 11,288,000 12 11,690,000

Live 53 4,711,000 35 3,552,000

Music/

Musical 2

Mystery 1 1,124,000 1 275,000

Romance 6 747,000 8 18,185,000

Sci-fi 2 21,314,000 3 24,028,000

Thriller 8 12,333,000 12 29,906,000

War 1 9,000 Nil Nil

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CINEMA OPERATORS-AUSTRALASIA (NACO)

A national association of cinema operators did not happen overnight. For most of the past 70 years, cinema exhibition has been represented by various state associations, independent associations, trade associations, employer associations and state chambers of commerce, but never by a national association made up entirely of cinema exhibitors, until 2011.

In that year, NACO evolved out of the Motion Picture Exhibitors Association of Queensland (MPEAQ), which was incorporated in 1947. NACO continues to host the annual AIMC as part of this long tradition and as a service to the film industry in the Australia/Pacific region.

There has been a very significant investment by exhibitors in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific region, with 2,041 screens in nearly 500 locations in Australia and over 400 screens in New Zealand.

More than 10,000 people are employed in the cinema industry, and the big screen consistently rates as one of the top social outings for all demographics.

NACO's primary objective is to protect this very substantial investment made by its members. It is an organisation for all exhibitors - majors; independents; multi-screen; single screen; or drive-in - from the city or the country - and it represents all member exhibitors, irrespective of their size or structure, in genuine, whole-of-industry issues. These issues could include film theft, licencing fees, film classification, collapsing of windows, digitalisation.

Movie theft, or piracy, costs our industry and our economies billions of dollars and threatens the jobs and livelihoods of many people. The industry is taking very active steps to protect itself and NACO supports the activities of the two key agencies in Australia working to protect the industry - the Australian Screen Association and the IP Awareness Foundation - as well as working with the film distributors through the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia (MPDAA) and the Australian Independent Distributors Association (AIDA). We also work with international organisations such as the National Association of Theater Owners (NATO) and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) in the U.S.

The Australian Screen Association (ASA) works closely with industry, government and law enforcement authorities to protect the film and television industry, retailers and movie fans from the adverse impact of copyright theft in Australia. NACO has collaborated with ASA/AFACT, MPDAA and the Australian Home Entertainment Distributors Association (AHEDA) in the preparation of submissions to government relating to new standards of regulation of telecommunications, television, radio and the internet.

GOLD COAST, QUEENSLAND

The attractions of the Gold Coast make the region an ideal destination for conferences and many delegates choose to extend their stay either before or after the convention. With 300 days of sunshine a year and an average temperature of 25 degrees Celsius, the Gold Coast offers a full spectrum of interactive entertainment - from dazzling big-budget theme parks to small, hilariously kitsch museums; world-renowned beaches and over 70 kilometres of pristine coastline; world-class golfing facilities; sporting events from surfing to V8 supercars; sophisticated dining and shopping precincts; shows and live entertainment; lush, green Hinterland - just a few of the reasons 10.5 million visitors flock to this vibrant city each year; a destination as scenic and peaceful as it is fast-paced and active.